SALMON AQUACULTURE: LARGER COMPANIES AND INCREASED PRODUCTION

Salmon farming is among the most successful aquaculture industries with a production growth that is substantially higher than aggregate aquaculture production in recent decades. It is well known that innovations and productivity growth are the main sources for this development. In this article we look closer at two potentially important factors in production growth, development of farm size and company size directly through economies of scale and indirectly through capacity in R&D, innovation, sales and marketing. In Norway, production per license has increased from 26tons in 1980 to 1,130tons in 2010, suggesting a substantial intensification in the industry. In all five leading salmon producing countries, the degree of concentration has increased and the large firms have become bigger over time.